Washing machine



Dec. 29, 1959 E. scHELE WASHING MACHINE Fileavoct. 4, 1s

ATTORNEYS FIGA Ma States patent 2,918,811 WASHING MACHINE l EnriqueSchele, `East Paterson, NJ., assignor to National Rubber MachineryCompany, Akron, Ohio, a corpora- -tion ofl Ohio l Application october@l195s, serial No. 538,301

` s claims. (Cl. 68-4) The present invention relates generally asindicated to a Awashing machine, and more particularly to the com-'bination of suchfwashing machine with a food waste disposer.

"'l'At the present'time, many domestickitchen sinks are equipped withfood4 waste disposers of the type providing a'waste-receiving cavity incommunication with the "-sinkdrainwand having an electric motor drivenimpeller `upon which food waste is supported and comminuted by stheaction of cooperating shredding elements of the dmpeller and cavitywall, the comminuted food waste .being ushed into the sewer byrunningwater into'the sink-and-through'the sink rdrain opening anddisposer.

I..Accordingly, an ever increasing ynumber of homes thus".ilbeinglequipped with food waste disposers have available Ya-convenient source ofpower for converting the kitchen sink into the tubof a clothes washing machine. However, 'be'cause of the limited spaceand'excessive expense, it #has not been possible toy make suchconversion with, a twashingmachine attachment operating on ythe sameprin- Icp'le as the conventional oscillating agitator washing machine. vf

Patented Dec. 29, 1959 means which basically includes a shaft with atilted eccentric to which an agitator is journalled.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the following description andthe annexed drawing setting forth in detail a certain illustrativeernbodiment of the invention, thisv being indicative, however, of butone of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may beemployed.

Broadly stated, the washing action obtained with the present washingmachine and washing machine attachment is yobtained by imparting to alongitudinally nned agitator flared outwardly at one end, a vibratorymotion such that the axis of the agitator describes a generally conicalvpath, of which path the apex is adjacent the apex of the flared end ofthe agitator whereby the water in the sink is caused to move bodily,while vibrated, in

` `orbits disposed in generally vertical and radial planes.

1 f lWith Ithe foregoing in mind, it is aprincipal object of thisAinvention to provide a' simple and efcient direct `drive washing machineattachment for a food waste disposer ,whic'h' has a'unique form ofvibratory agitator. lIt'is another object of this invention to provide af "washing machine attachment for a food waste disposer which has avibratory agitator effective to vibrate the water and clothes thereinand tol induce an orbital motion `to 'the'water and clothes .whilevpulsatedor vibrated in 'fygenerally vertical radial planes so that allof the clothes l vzareeifectively and quickly washed and without theclothes contacting the agitator except incidentally as a fresultoftheirorbital vmovement as aforesaid.

Further objects of the present invention, insofar as v*theA combinationof the washing machine attachment withinl a foodwaste disposer isconcerned, are as follows:

To provide a control cover which constitutes a i ,bearing-for theagitator' drive shaft and which is adapted .--to-be locked to the .foodwaste disposer and while thus u locked loperativeV vto energize thedrive motor of the disposer;

B. To provide a novel form .of packing 4ring disposed f Abetween thecontrol cover and the sink ange, which Packing `ring in undeformedcondition permits draining of water from the sink without removing thewashing at- .y itachment, and which, in deformed condition, serves toclose the sink drain opening so that water may be vretained thereinduring the washing operation;

;- :V C. Toprovide a combination sealing ring which is notzonlyeffective to provide a tiuid seal between the lagitator andthe controlcover 'and drive shaft there? within, but, in addition, to permitvibration of the agita- `torwithout rotation of the latter about itscentral longiftudnal ='axis; and

D.^'1fo provide a simple form "of Vvibration producing vof the dischargepipe 11.

`In the annexed drawings:

vFigs l-5 illustrate the present washing machine-food waste disposercombination; Fig. 1 being a side elevation view; Fig. 2 being a verticalcross-section view taken substantially along the line 2 2, Fig. 4; Fig.3 being `a fragmentary 'vertical section through the control member;Fig. 4.being a horizontal cross-section view taken substantially :alongthe line 4 4, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 being a top plan view of the agitatoras viewed from the top of Figs. land 2.

Referring now more particularly to-the drawings,

ythere vis shown therein a portion of a typical kitchen sink 1 which, aswill hereinafter appear, constitutes a container or tub for water inlwhich soiled clothes are to be washed, said sink 1 having a centerdrain opening y2` to which is connected a food waste disposer 3.

Said disposer is herein exemplarily illustrated as comprising a housing4 forming a waste-receiving cavity 5 within which an impeller 6-isrotated by the drive shaft 7 of an electric motor 8. The wall of thecavity 5 is formed with a cutting element, herein in the form of Aa"shredding ring 9, against which the food waste is irnpelled bycentrifugal force and comminutedby the action of the upstanding ns 10 onthe top surface vof the vimpeller 6.

The comminuted waste is ushed out of the cavity 5 ,through peripheralopenings t (not shown) around the impeller 6 defined between the cavitywall and the periphery'of the impeller by continuous flow of water intothe sink drain opening 2 and out into a sewer pipe by way The connectionbetween the sink 1' and the .disposer 3 comprises a sink flange 12engaging the top marginal edge of the drain opening 2 and having a neckprojecting downwardly through such opening into threaded engagement withthe upper end of the disposer housing 4. A

fluid-tight seal with sink 1 is obtained by providing a ring 14 which,when urged upwardly by the plurality of tbolts 1S, presses the resilientgasket 16 tightly against the bottom ,of the sink 1 and against theouter surface of the sink flange 12.

The lower end of the sink flange is turned inwardly,

as shown, to form a seat 17 adapted to be engaged by a complementaryoutwardly projecting ange of a con- 4trol meinber'(not shown herein)which may be'subpatent to Drew The disposer control cover, asillustrated and described in detail in said Drew patent hasta topcontinuous ange :and a `bottom-interrupted angeso arranged =that, iwhensaid control member is inserted in one rotary position into the sinkange, the s ame will be supported in elevated Drain position by thebottom flange thereof resting upon inwardly extending, diametricallyopposed lugs 18 in the disposer housing 4, whereby the top ange will bespaced above the seat 17 so that water may drain from the sink 1. Whensaid control member is inserted in a different rotary position, theinterrupted bottom ange will clear the lugs 18 aforesaid whereby thecontrol member will drop down to Seal position with. its topange-engaging seat 17, thereby closing the sink drain opening.

The control member is also arranged so that, when it is rotated to Grindposition while in Drain position, a circumferentially extending camthereof actuates. a plunger (not shown) which, in turn, actuates aswitch (not shown) for energizing the disposer motor 8.Theswitch-actuating plunger is not shown herein but will be preferablylocated just below the lugs 18 as in said. Drew patent.

A further feature of the control member for the dis poser is that, whenit is thus rotated to the motor energizing position, the lugs 1S will bedisposed beween spaced-apart anges of the control member so that the.latter cannot be axially withdrawn from the charging; opening. In thisway, there is no danger that food waste bouncing around in the cavitywill accidentally dislodge the control member.

Moreover, the direction of rotation of the impeller 6- and of the foodwaste is such that the control member is not tended to be rotated to theDrain position.

Referring now to the washing machine attachment, the impeller 6 is heldon the motor drive shaft 7 as by means of a nut 20 which, as shownherein, constitutes a convenient power take-off for operating thewashing: attachment, the drive shaft 21 of the washing attachment beingprovided with a socket 23 at its lowerrend complementary with said nut20 so that the washing machine drive shaft will be rotated in unisonwith the impeller 6 and the motor drive shaft 7 which, for in stance,may be 1725 r.p.m. As evident, the disc-likeV impeller 6 constitutes afly wheel for the washing machine attachment.

The washing machine drive shaft 21 is rotatably sup-1 ported in sleevebearings or bushings contained in thehub of a control member 24, therepreferably being a rubber or rubber-like ring disposed between the endsof the bushings to provide a fluid-tight seal around saidA drive shaft21 and to maintain pressure between the flange of the bottom bushing andthe collar on said shaft.

The control member 24 herein shown somewhat resembles the disposercontrol member, above referred to, in that it has an interrupted bottomflange 25 which is adapted to be inserted down below the lugs 18whereupon, when the control member 24 thus inserted is rotated as bymeans of the pair of diametrically opposed ears 26 on the top thereof,said ange 25 will underlie the lugs 18 and thus the control member isheld against upward axial withdrawal. At the same time, said ange 25will be formed with a circumferentially extending cam to actuate theswitch plunger in the manner already described in connection with thedisposer control member.

Disposers are usually provided with two switches in series, one beingactuated by the control member as aforesaid, and the other being locatedon the outside of the housing 4 beneath the sink. It may be preferred,when using the present washing machine attachment, to keep the housingswitch open until after the: control member and other parts have beenproperly adjusted and secured in place. Thus, when the control memberactuated switch is closed by the turning of the control member 24, thedisposer motor 3 will not yet be. started.

Press tted or otherwise secured within the bottom i of the skirt of thecontrol member 24 is a ring member 27 which carries a sealing -ring 28as an added precaution against fluid leakage.

Intermediate the ends of the control member 24, there is a continuousledge or flange 29 which is engaged by the lower end of a flexiblesealing ring 3ft, said ring 30 being of normal shape and size as shownin Fig. 3 so that its outer periphery is spaced from the interior wallof the sink flange 12. Thus, in this position, the sink drain opening isopen so that water may drain from the sink 1.

Above said ledge 29, the control member 24 is provided with a pluralityof radially projecting pins 31, preferably three in number, andsurrounding said control member .24 is a cam ring 32 provided withcircumferentially extending cams 34 engaged under said pins 31 so that,when said cam ring 32 is rotated as by means of a wrench engaged withthe upstanding pair of lugs 35 thereof, the ring 32 is urged downwardlyto deform the sealing ring 30 as shown in Fig. 2 into fluid-tightengagement within the sink flange 12.

A followerring 36 is preferably interposed between the sealing ring 30and the cam ring 32 so that the former will not be twisted by therotation of the latter. With the drain opening of the sink 1 thusclosed, the sink 1 may now be filled with water to the desired washinglevel, and when it is desired to drain out the washing water, all Athatit is necessary to do is to turn the cam ring 32 back to its initialposition, whereupon the sealing ring 30 will return to its undeformedcondition as shown in Fig. 3. The ring 3i) may be made as of neoprene-of 65 to 75 durometer hardness with a wall thickness of /G" at thecenter and about G" adjacent the rounded ends.

ln the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-5, the upper end ofthe drive shaft 21 is bent as shown and is connected through the ballbearing 37 to the center hub of an agitator 38. The upper end portion ofthe agitator 38 is flared outwardly and upwardly and is formed with aplurality of axially extending, radial fins 39.

Rotation of the agitator 33 about its central longitudinal axis isprevented by means of the resilient ring 40 which has its opposite endswedged into wedge groovesformed in the top of the control member 24 andin the bottom end of the agitator hub.. Said resilient ring 41D :alsoserves as a fluid seal and is adapted to be flexed as the agitator 38 isvibrated. A ring 40 of 1l O D., 1%6" ength, and 1/a wall thickness haswell served its intended purposes when made of 50-60 durometer hardnessneoprene.

As evident, when the drive shaft 21 rotates, the central axis of theagitator 38 will describe a conical path and will, in effect, rock backand forth in every radial plane between the dot-dash line and solid linepositions of Fig. 2. The ns 39 define pockets therebetween, Whereby thesurrounding Water in the sink 1 and the soiled ciothes being washed willhave imparted thereto a gyra- A'tory motion as indicated by the arrowsand will move around in the sink 1 along this path without any exceptincidental contact with the agitator, and thus even delicate pieces ofclothing may be safely washed without tearing or other severe washingaction as is encountered in the conventional oscillating agitatorwashing machines wherein the clothes are alternately pushed and pulledin opposite directions by agitator ns.

As an example of the present embodiment of the invention, the vibrationswill have a frequency of say 1725 cycles per minute, the same as ther.p.m. of the motor 8. In a conventional kitchen sink of 8 x l5 x 21"size, the Water level will preferably be about l" above the agitator tocover the entire agitator 38 which herein is of about 3 overall lengthflared out at an included angle of approximately from a diameter-ofkll/" to a diameter of 3%", the radial tins 39' extending to the samediameter and having their lower ends beveled at say an angle of about45.

The angle of the bend of the shaft 21 is about 4 so that the vibratorymovement as measured at the outer edge of the flared skirt of theagitator 38 is about 5/16. With such construction, it has been foundthat soiled clothes are thoroughly washed in a matter of 7-10 minutes ascompared with a much longer washing cycle and use of much more water inthe tub of the conventional oscillating agitator washing machine.Moreover, the washing action herein, besides being efficient, isextremely gentle on the clothes.' In addition, the mechanism isexteremly simple and does not require any gearing or links, but,instead, is a direct drive unit which results in a vibratory orpulsatory motion of the agitator.

Moreover, the present washing machine attachment makes use of anexisting source of power and is especially convenient to use when only afew pieces of clothing are desired to be quickly and efliciently washed.

After the washing has been completed, all that it is necessary to do isto turn the cam ring 32 to drain out the water from the sink and, ifdesired, clean water may be admitted to rinse the clothes with the sameeicient vibratory action. The agitatorv has a drain opening 41 to drainwater from the flared skirt and the bearing 37 is sealed in by cap 42.

It has been found that the vibration induced in the water causes thesame to rapidly move back and forth through the clothes to free the dirttherefrom, and this, in combination with the more or less continuousgyrating motion in orbits having generally horizontally disposed axes,effects an efficient washing action never contemplated heretofore byothers skilled in the art.

In addition, the washing machine drive is extremely simple, since thereis a direct transmission of power from a drive motor to an eccentricallydisposed member which causes the agitator to have a vibratory motion,without rotating about its axis in a conical path, the iins of theagitator forming therebetween pockets for gyratory mtion of the waterand clothes and the imparting of vibration to the water and clothes forthe eicient washing action.

In the Figs. 1-5 embodiment of this invention, the agitator 38 isvibrated in the desired manner by a drive mechanism comprising a motordrive shaft 7, and a shaft 21 which is detachably coupled to shaft 7 andwhich has a bent or offset end to which the agitator 38 is con` nectedby means of a bearing 37.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the details described, provided thefeatures stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent ofsuch, be em ployed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

l. A washing machine attachment for a food waste disposer of the typewhich is mounted underneath a kitchen sink to receive food waste fromthe sink drain opening and which has a motor-driven impeller upon whichsuch waste is supported and impelled for comminution, said attachmentcomprising a drive shaft adapted for detachable driving engagement withsuch impeller, a cover member providing a bearing for said shaft andadapted to seal such drain opening, said shaft being provided with alaterally offset portion, an agitator rotatably connected to said offsetportion in a tilted position so as to be supported in upwardlyprojecting relation above the bottom of the sink and to be moved in agenerally conical path about an axis which is tilted with respect to theaxis of said drive shaft, said cover member having a flexible sealingring therearound, and means for deforming said ring from drainpermitting position to fluid-tight sealing engagement with such drainopening.

2. A washing machine attachment for a food waste disposer of the typewhich is mounted underneath a kitchen sink to` receive food waste fromthe sink drain opening and which has a motor-driven impeller upon whichsuch waste is supported and impelled for comminution, said attachmentcomprising a drive shaft adapted for detachable driving engagement withsuch impeller, a cover member providing a bearing for said shaft andadapted to seal such drain opening, said shaft being provided with alaterallyy offset portion, an agitator rotatably connected to saidoffset portion in a tilted position so as to be supported in upwardlyprojecting relation above the bottom of the sink and to be moved in agenerally conical path about an axis which is tilted with respect to theaxis of said drive shaft, a cam ring rotatable on said cover member andhaving cam surfaces effective to axially move same relative to saidcover member when rotated, and a flexible lsealing ring between said camring and a flange on said cover member adapted to be radially outwardlydeformed in fluid-tight contact with such drain opening upon rotation ofsaid cam ring.

3. The combination with a kitchen sink having a drain opening in thebottom thereof of a food waste disposer mounted underneath said sink andprovided with an inlet opening to receive food waste through said drainopening, said disposer having a motor-driven impeller upon which suchwaste is supported and impelled for comminution; and a washing machineattachment in said sink, said attachment comprising a vertical driveshaft having detachable driving engagement at its lower end with saidimpeller, a cover member providing a bearing for said shaft and sealingsaid drain opening whereby said sink may be filled with washing Huid,said shaft being provided with a laterally offset portion at its upperend, an agitator rotatably connected to said offset portion in tiltedposition so as to be supported in upwardly projecting relation above thebottom of the sink and to be moved in a generally conical path about anaxis which is tilted with respect to the axis of said drive shaft, andmeans for axially releasably holding said attachment in place withrespect to said sink and disposer, said means comprising radiallyextending surfaces on said cover member and disposer inlet openingwhich, in one rotary position of said cover member in said drainopening, are radially overlapped with the surfaces of said cover memberunderneath those of said inlet opening to preclude upward withdrawal ofsaid cover member and which, in another rotary position of said covermember in said drain opening, are circumferentially offset to permitupward withdrawal of said cover member and disengagement of said shaftfrom said impeller.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,091,402 Waterworth Aug. 31, 1937 2,186,786 Jensen Jan. 9, 19402,228,057 Kirby Ian. 7, 1941 2,253,965 Wassmer Aug. 26, 1941 2,554,573Johnson May 29, 1951 2,579,393 Modrey Dec. 18, 1951 2,695,510 Clark Nov.30, 1954 2,755,651 Castricone July 24, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 198,951Switzerland Oct. 1, 1938

